South Bay guide · Tier A · Rank #6 of 60
House hacking in San José (Evergreen / West Evergreen).
An under-construction light-rail station lands directly in-ZIP, converting a bus-only bedroom community to rail-served with a BART transfer at Milpitas.
Status check: Verified 2026-07-17: same EBRC progress as 95122, past 50% construction and on schedule for early-2028 revenue service; tier held.
What's actually happening in 95148
- Under construction
EBRC: the Eastridge Transit Center at-grade LRT station sits in-ZIP at Eastridge Mall (Capitol Expwy at Tully), with the Story Rd station on the 95148/95122 boundary. VTA Eastridge to BART Regional Connector
- Funded, under construction
The EBRC program: ~$600M, ~67% complete as of 6/30/2026, delivery 2027–28, fully funded per VTA (2016 Measure B, Measure A, RM3, state and federal sources); it connects to BART at Milpitas. VTA
- Under construction
Capitol Expressway corridor upgrades (pedestrian, landscaping, and station-area work) delivered with the guideway. VTA
The numbers
- Median price
- ~$1,358,837 (2026)
- Market rent
- 3bd ~$4,200/mo (metro by-bed read, confirm per parcel)
- Property tax (Santa Clara County)
- 1.54% median effective (per-ZIP read, 2026-07-10; verify the TRA per parcel)
- Per-bed rent band
- $1,200–1,500/mo per bed
- ADU rent band
- 1bd $2,200–2,600, 2bd detached $2,700–3,100/mo (large lots favor detached)
- Whole-home rent band
- $4,000–4,300/mo whole-home (3bd)
- Underwriting vacancy
- 4–4.5% underwriting vacancy
- Appreciation scenarios
- 2.5 / 3.5 / 5.0 %/yr (conservative / base / upside)
Larger Evergreen tract lots favor ADUs. Appreciation basis: The in-ZIP Eastridge LRT station (2027–28) carries the base; rail opening plus Milpitas BART transfer demand is the upside; date-slip risk and today's bus-only service cap the conservative case. Rent bands are city-level medians; confirm the specific parcel before trusting any of them. Run your own scenario in the calculator.
The house-hack angle
A detached ADU or SB-9 lot split on the larger Evergreen lots (Holly Oak and Murillo are strongest); San José's ADU program is permissive, with a Pre-Approved ADU track at ~1–2 week review. The renter base is commuters gaining new rail reach. Some Evergreen subdivisions carry HOAs that can restrict rentals or ADUs: verify per parcel.
What breaks it
- ~90% R-1 single-family; the density lever is entirely ADU and SB-9
- An EBRC date slip (2027 vs 2028) delays the appreciation trigger
- Local anchors are thin (Eastridge retail plus Regional Medical, which is contracting), and the East Foothills fringe needs a higher insurance line plus a FAIR Plan eligibility check